The Wanderers build

[superbuickguy]

more boring stuff....
this one doesn't work with the 6.2 manifold... at least not as it sits...

hold that thought, though, need to get a few more things dialed in.. like the offset for the turbo

and get the wiring routed to figure out how much stock I'm buying in DEI this time

with my attention span we finish with connecting the power steering pump

 

[superbuickguy]

Time to take the tank out of the Suburban on the off chance the pickup is messed up or plugged up

first drain the tank

nope, sock isn't the problem... maybe the computer is gone... I dunno

it's not, but now is the optimal time to put the pickup in place for the diesel heater

not to say I didn't spend a bit of time getting things ready to test fit the winch bumper on the blazer

 

[superbuickguy]

To finish... put the pickup in the tank for the diesel heater...

then assembled it and drove it out of the shop...

back to the Blazer
first problem, finally, solved. Needed the fittings for the fuel pump... apparently Dorman makes them. Thanks Dorman

while I was gluing the fitting to the tank, I figured I'd try this...

and also got the heat shielding so I can finish the turbo portion

so back to the fitting... it works... problem is getting the lines to fit. Okay, so there's a huge secret. I guess some people gave up on a 6.5 diesel install because of the fittings. I guess they'd never heard of -10 an fittings?

so I don't know if this is going to be the solution... I have a stand alone cooler as well... but it has its own challenges.

 

[superbuickguy]

oil lines part 2
flare

use liquid steel as a shim

and it's now adapted.

electric fuel pump install - apparently another 'fix'

for some reason this ragged edge was under the hose

but with a trim and a flare - pump fits fine

and clamped

 

[superbuickguy]

oil lines... sorted
had to take the bend out to make it fit

 

[superbuickguy]

random stuff forward - remove the outer cover of the hvac box - so I can put heat shield in place

even got the idle solenoid connected

and time to get the bumper off the floor

the brackets for an 86 Blazer must have been for the 'other' one (or the idiot at the swap meet didn't know ****** he was talking about)

 

[superbuickguy]

in other news, got the blocks

the problem... the blocks I was using aren't symetrical

and that, of course, puts the tire in a different spot in the fender (and worse, makes the truck crab)

in the rest of this, I'm going to add at least one leaf

at SEMA, I noticed a new engine stand coming from Harbor Fright. for less than $400 it's comparable to $800 stands... wish I had it when I was building the motor for this... ah well, I do enough motors that this will be well used

 

[superbuickguy]

I'm kind of in the middle of a lot of things - waiting for parts, for one such as this

fun fact about this Blazer. He had charging problems.... so he put thousands of extra grounds... probably should have paid more attention to the connector that regulates the power generation... not judging, but just sayin'

I needed to drill the hole larger for the heavy-duty alternator and I'm waiting for the new a/c pump, the right plug for the alternator and gaskets... and the list goes on... not just that but AutoX on Sunday so had to align the Corvette (which I do myself because I think it's faster then explaining to the local Firestone tech what I'm looking for and how to adjust it)...

 

[superbuickguy]

got a bit more done today... spent most of it making my wife's new car into a dog box... but I did get me time
new a/c pump installed

finally machined the clutch fan housing to accept the new fan

yes, this is 'the right fan' for it.... uh... fixable

also started wiring the new alternator

 

[superbuickguy]

my biggest fan

alternator wired and starter wired (what a pita)

and time to gold plate this pig... or at least the wires on this pig

did the same with the starter wires... pictures are just not possible

 

[superbuickguy]

reconsidering my life choices... there's so many considerations doing this... it will fit, but wow what a pain.... and I love it.
of course, having to screw with heatshield doesn't make me happy

form and fit

but it's necessary

time to figure out the upper coolant tube

more bits

there are issues because that is where I planned on running the pressurized line for the turbo

it would be a bit annoying to have to remake the intake to a flat plate and round hole

oh but wait, there's more

what you can't see is the 2 1/2 hole that needs to be there for the turbo's exhaust

you have no idea the temptation to put the turbo where the muffler would reside... it would solve some problems. That said, that means there would be another 2 1/2 tube that would need to fit up through that nonexistent hole

I wish I had a muffler shop tube bender....

 

[superbuickguy]

I thought I'd be continuing on with exhaust, however, the bits I need didn't arrive yesterday... not complaining, I have tons to do - but one of those changes from moving is going from that-day or next-day delivery to in-a-week-or-so delivery... so I let my ADD reign and
started working on fixing the core support

amazing it can take 2 hours to do this but I'm still setting up the shop - so to cut these two pieces, I had to: clear the shear, find an extension cord, get the dies in the brake, find an extension cord for that, set the brake, get the metal out, clear a table to put the metal on, fix my wife's dog kennel, go to the store to get my wife a jump box, finish the brakes on the motorhome, then complete these pieces..

I did 'waste' a bit of time staring at these trying to determine how I was going to mount an idler pulley under the alternator..

and then ADD again with the front bumper

so how does one 'level' the front bumper? by checking the angle of the door sills, of course. Of course, they're also a 1/3rd of a degree different from side to side...

anyway, now's that for a got-nothing-done?

 

[superbuickguy]

Spent the morning retrieving these jewels.... as I said before, the NP208 was likely just a placeholder...

boost on a HX35 turbo is limited to 30psi... which is about double what can be reliably used in a 6.5 TD - on the 'burb, I simply used a boost valve, this time, I'll do it right

fix things while you're thinking about them.... the PO didn't fix this... but added 50 more grounds?

I got so tired of catching on the rusty bits that I figured I'd stop and fix that too

got the exhaust bands so I can finally start on the exhaust

trial on front bumper... it is going back at least 5"

 

[superbuickguy]

time to attach it for real

a bit low

moved it up then used the bolts that hold the tow hooks to hold the bumper in place

and done

and you can see why - now I have a platform to work from

 

[superbuickguy]

not a lot to photograph - basically just tightening bolts... but I got new part

and bought hoses to connect the upper radiator hose

brand new fluid... I was right, it was a placeholder

and time to start routing the brake cables

soon, remove these and remount them